HVAC OEMs Like New DOE Rules for Rating Commercial Systems

United Technologies Corp. (UTC) and the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP) today praised the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for finalizing new methods for rating and certifying commercial air conditioning, heating, water heating and refrigeration equipment.

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United Technologies Corp. (UTC) and the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP) today praised the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for finalizing new methods for rating and certifying commercial HVAC, water heating and refrigeration equipment. The negotiated rule, which DOE published on Dec. 31, 2013, was developed by the first working group convened by DOE’s Appliance Standards Rulemaking Federal Advisory Committee, co-chaired by Andrew deLaski, executive director of ASAP, and John Mandyck, chief sustainability officer for UTC Building & Industrial Systems. UTC Building & Industrial Systems is a unit of UTC.

“DOE’s energy efficiency standards for commercial HVAC, water heating and refrigeration products promise significant energy savings,” deLaski says. “By accepting the consensus rule developed by the multi-stakeholder working group, DOE now has the tools to fairly and cost-effectively implement these important, energy-saving standards.”

“With nearly 100 hours of formal meetings, this diverse and dedicated working group of industry, advocate and DOE representatives achieved consensus on a new way to rate and certify commercial equipment that is both practical and robust,” said Mandyck. “The outcome saves costs while providing essential assurance that products meet federal energy efficiency requirements.”

DOE accepted the working group’s recommendations covering the use of alternative energy determination methods (AEDMs). These methods employ computer modeling or mathematical tools to effectively forecast the rated energy performance of products, which eliminates the need to perform costly laboratory tests for each product sold. Used as prescribed by the negotiated rule, AEDMs can accurately predict the rated energy usage of products covered under federal energy efficiency requirements.

DeLaski and Mandyck both noted that the negotiated rulemaking was ideally suited for the technical complexity of rating commercial equipment, allowing for full discussion and explanation of issues not afforded by the traditional rulemaking process.

In addition to Laura Barhydt, assistant general counsel for enforcement, DOE, Mandyck and Kent Peterson, vice president and chief engineer, P2S Engineering, Inc., members of the commercial HVACR certification working group were supported by Ashley Armstrong with DOE’s Appliance Standards Program. Those members included:

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